Speaking of being tough, this Swiss guy pays dearly for tailgating!
In the Netherlands we often complain about how expensive fines are. And rightly so, on the other hand, you often have it in your own hands. Driving through a red light or driving without a seat belt, in principle you are involved yourself.
Tailgating in Switzerland
There are countries, however, where it can be much more extreme. Switzerland, for example, where traffic fines are linked to income. A wealthy Swiss lawyer can tell you all about it. He was fined 98,500 Swiss francs, the equivalent of 105,220 euros, for tailgating on the A1 towards Zurich.
That’s no small feat. The fine was imposed on him by the court. This is a 58-year-old man who committed the offence in his BMW 540d. A delicious diesel-driven car! The offence was committed in 2023 at a speed of 120 km/h.
The lawyer’s income amounts to 1.7 million Swiss francs per year. Converted to 1.8 million euros. On that basis, the sky-high fine was imposed, so that the Swiss feels it in his wallet. In addition to the fine, he must also pay legal costs for the case, converted to 5,340 euros.
As a Dutch holidaymaker in Switzerland, you don’t have to fear fines related to income. However, you should always be careful. The country has a strict policy and the fines are still not small. You only have to drive a few kilometers too fast and you can expect an envelope at home a few weeks after visiting the country.
Should we also start handing out traffic fines in the Netherlands based on income? A good idea or a bad idea? Let us know in the comments!
(via Nau.ch)
Comments
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flow82 say
Compared to that fine, the legal costs are like pocket change.
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Benny_Weisz say
In 2008 I was flashed with my Audi TT near Lucerne on the highway 184 km/h (after correction)….where 130 was allowed. It was at night, nobody on the road, so I thought: keep driving!!
1/2 year later I received a letter from the Swiss subdistrict court stating that the claim had been referred to a debt collection agency in Groningen and that the total costs were EUR 1,688 (more than 50 km/h too fast is considered an environmental offence in Switzerland). I still feel that pain now, 16 years later.
I was allowed to pay in 6 installments, that’s true. But Switzerland will always remain a trauma.-
Johanneke say
What if you hadn’t paid and never went to Switzerland again? Or you can’t get away with it that easily.
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Benny_Weisz say
Unfortunately, I still think winter sports in Switzerland are really cool!!
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3246cm252kw say
Better to adapt the roads to the capabilities of the cars and let people live a little.
A tailgater is not a tailgater because he wants to be, it has a cause. An unnecessary left-hand driver… nobody expected that, right? You should punish those sleepers, not the active drivers!
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mashal say
It may indeed be that an unnecessary left-hand driver is the cause, but much more often it is someone who wants to drive too fast and is impatient. And let’s put it this way, they are not the types with a well-functioning risk assessment module.
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pivavar say
I am not a left-hand driver and drive 10% too fast as standard, but the cars and of course the ‘white van man’ that sit 2-3 meters away cannot be counted on 2 hands. With BE and NL as the high (or rather low) point.
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mx5wife say
That lawyer is not worth his salary either, if you lose your own case. Haha, now the whipping boy among his colleagues, even worse than that fine…
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nitpicking say
Only have-nots will applaud this.
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beard mite say
Maybe that’s because they pay their rent, health insurance and food from their wages. And so they immediately get into trouble if they commit a minor traffic violation, whether intentionally or not.
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pivavar say
I had a fine of 65 euros for 87 km/h in the 80 km/h, 23h33. In NL. I think you are cheaper off in CH.
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mashal say
The fines and repression in Switzerland are so high that Swiss people often go completely crazy abroad, driving like idiots just because they can afford it.
